Criss Cross Lacing Video

Criss Cross Lacing - Factory Variation

There is a subtle variation of Criss Cross Lacing that appears in many shoes that come pre-laced from the factory.
The lacing starts with the bottom grey section running across the
outside and with the first crossover on the
inside. The remainder of the lacing is normal.

Visually, this is less consistent and thus less appealing. Functionally, there is no good reason that I can think
of for this variation. So what is the reason?

Historically, there was a period when manufacturers were shipping shoes with the lace ends fed into the bottom
eyelets and simply tucked away neatly inside the shoe. In later years, with greater competition and cheaper labor,
manufacturers began lacing their shoes all the way, yet still starting as they always did with the ends fed
into the bottom eyelets. This would result in the lacing as we see it today, with a single "inner" crossover
at the very bottom.